Field
Exemplary embodiments relate to a display device.
Discussion of the Background
In general, liquid crystal display (LCD) devices are electronic devices that transform electrical information generated from various devices into visual information using the change of the transmittance of liquid crystal layer according to a voltage applied to the liquid crystals.
An LCD device has long been considered capable of overcoming the limitations of, and replacing, a cathode ray tube (CRT) that used to be widely used due to its various advantages such as compactness, lightness and low power consumption, and may be used in nearly all information processing devices that require a display device.
Since an LCD device does not completely transmit light provided by a backlight unit, the brightness of an LCD device may be of great importance. To improve the brightness of an LCD device, a variety of films have been developed and used, and examples of the films include a reflective polarizing film (or plate).
There are various types of reflective polarizing films available, such as a dual brightness enhancement film (DBEF) or a diffusive reflective polarization film (DRPF). The DBEF is a film in which isotropic films and anisotropic films are repeatedly formed to have a stack structure of hundreds of layers. The DBEF may increase the brightness of an LCD device by transmitting light through its stack structure to increase the amount of light transmittance. On the other hand, the DRPF may include a material with a different refractive index from the refractive index thereof, and may thus increase the amount of light transmittance by allowing light to be reflected and refracted by the material.
The DBEF, among other reflective polarizing films, has a high brightness improvement ratio. Accordingly, when applied to an LCD device, the DBEF can enhance the optical efficiency characteristics of the LCD device. However, the DBEF cannot be considered a complete polarizer element. Also, the fabrication of the DBEF involves a very complicated process of forming a stack structure of hundreds of thin film layers. Also, the manufacturing cost of the DBEF is very high.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the inventive concept, and, therefore, it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.